Here we are, the last day of the first month of the new year. Seem's hard to believe!
We walked over at Harrison Bay today but it was so quiet I never even took my camera out of it's bag....so what I am posting, I took on Saturday....
the only difference being that today there were no clouds at all and it was cooler because we have yet another cold front moving in.
Also, exactly the same were....
the large flocks of very restless Canada Geese....
took this one as a bunch of them flew overhead.
Yesterday wasn't as nice and sunny but it was milder, so we had walked over to the park
it had been very quiet over there too....
there were a few Mallard and this gull which I think, judging from the bright pink legs, is a Thayer's Gull but won't swear to that.
it was interesting that as we walked the trail...the only bird we saw...
was this male Anna's Hummingbird who has staked out the same area he reigned over last year. Just a few short years ago it would have been inconceivable to see a hummingbird in January ~ not anymore!
As for....
Bald Eagles, there were a few hanging around, although from the sounds of it most are in Delta these days.
So, next is February.....and there is snow in the forecast....then in less than 3 weeks the Great Backyard Bird Count.....
Canada Geese are the topic of the day. Went for a walk over at Harrison Bay and everywhere you looked there were Canada Geese...
first we'll set the scene...note how low the water levels are again...
but back to the geese, they were spread out all along the shoreline, a female Mallard there with this group....
these were some of 106 individuals in this particular field....but the big story, apart from the numbers, and I estimate close to 1,000 birds all told...was how active they were...
flocks of them kept flying about, most settling out on the sandbars of the bay..
here are some more....not only were they active, they were also vocal, as were...
the swans because that is what those white dots out there are. Must have been close to a hundred and a least a few, judging by the calls, were Tundras.
There were also several...
Loons....this was just one of them....a Common Loon I think...
this Glaucous-wing Gull posed nicely, actually looking at it, it might be a Western/Glaucous Wing cross...not sure.
back to the geese though, here are some more along with a Bald Eagle that was eating something on top of that piling.
With all the goose activity didn't spend much time looking for small birds. Could hear lots of Black Cap Chickadees and couldn't miss...
the Eurasian-collared Dove as we headed back to our vehicle.
A dull day in all respects....but at least it was dry!
Caught some movement out of the corner of my eye.....
a tiny Pacific Wren. Not the crispest photo but considering how dull the light was and how fast these little guys are, not too bad!
After lunch we walked over to the log bay....
much quieter today than it was yesterday, still a few eagles perched here and there and then a little bit of drama....
a sign of spring, the Mallards are pairing up....
so what happens when a single male decides to butt in? Well a whole lot of noise and...
and then 'attack!'
I mentioned there were a few eagles around....
have to really look to find this one!
Oh and speaking of signs of spring?
Pussy Willows! spotted today.
Woke to a sunny but very frosty morning!
Could see some activity down at the end of the boat launch...
Mallards and Bald Eagles....
here is a closer look at one of the male mallard...
and this particular eagle. There were also quite a number of eagles perched in trees along the shoreline.
After lunch we set out again....
this guy gave us the 'eagle eye' as we set out.....
there was a large flock of Dark-eyed Junco working through the bushes along the trail.
After yesterdays walk over at Harrison Bay I guess I was a bit complacent and had worn shoes rather than boots....so was a little surprised when I found the trail still covered in frozen snow, fortunately we made it without incident.
and here we are at the log bay...where there actually were quite a few eagles, some over in that grassy area and....
also out there on the flats....
not to mention this one...
perched nearby. Steller's Jay were very vocal today as well, there was one deep in a red osier dogwood shrub that just wouldn't shut up...but was impossible to get a picture of...too many branches in the way!
Heading home....
this Great Blue Heron was on the shore....quite a few Green wing Teal on the far shore but not visible in the photo.
With weather returning to what we normally expect this time of the year here at the estuary, we headed over for a walk at Harrison Bay....
and notice the green fields!!! just a few tiny frozen bits of snow left. Oh, and of course the Canada Geese feeding off the green grass.
Very calm and quiet out there. There were about 50 swans way over at the edge of the bay but not much of anything else.
looking the other way, more green fields with just a bit of snow left in the shady spots....again though, very, very quiet in the bird department.
the Bald Eagle pair were perched close to their nest....
her is one of them....
and her is the other....
There were a lot of Black Cap Chickadees, could hear them but trying to spot them was virtually impossible. Also heard a Downy Woodpecker and a Song Sparrow singing....
Several Spotted Towhee were scratching about, this was the only one that stopped long enough for a picture.
but here was the pleasant surprise for the day....a Gold-crowned Sparrow. Of course at this time of the year the 'gold' on the crown of the head is pretty pale, it will take a couple of months before it turns brilliant yellow.
After 4 days of rain and warmer, as in above freezing temperatures, the sun shone this morning so we set out for a walk....
what snow this was there was a little icy as we'd had a touch of freezing rain over night.
not looking nearly as white is it? Pretty quiet out there though, just a few ducks here and there...
here is the first bay....slightly more water but not as much as one would think, probably because out here, at least it really didn't get all that warm. When it was 11 C in Vancouver it was 5 C here.
there have been quite a few Bald Eagles around the last few days now that the rotting fish are uncovered and thawed. This was one of the few adults as most in the area are young ones.
like this guy on the shore at the log bay. Quite a few gulls around too.
you can see that water levels have come up to a degree. Before the rain started there was no water visible out there.
Fair bit of activity out there though!
and we will leave with one more juvenile eagle, this guy right over head.
